And frank conrick



(No Model.)

J. GONOVER.& F. OONRIGK.

. FIRE ESCAPE. -No. 375,440. Patented-Dec. 27, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JOEL OONOVER, OF COBLESKILL, NEW YORK, AND FRANK CONRIOK, OF

DUBUQUE, IOWA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,440, dated December 27, 1887.

Application filed October 19, 1887. Serial No. 5 252,787. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOEL OONOVER, of Cobleskill, in the county of Schoharie and State of New York,and FRANK OoNRIoK, of the city and county of Dubuque, in the State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus for aiding the escape of persons from burning buildings; and the object of our invention is to provide a simple, safe, and efi'ective apparatus for the purpose above named, and to render the apparatus reversible, in order that it may be used either side uppermost. This object we attain by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are herein referred to and form part of. this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of our fireescape with its clamping-bars locked together. Fig. 2 is a like elevation with the clamping bars spread apart to permit the suspensionrope to render between them; Fig. 3 is a like elevation of our fire-escape in its reversed position, and Fig. 4: is a transverse section of Fig. 1 at the line X X.

As represented in the drawings, A is the suspension-rope of ourfireescape, which rope is preferably provided at each end with an eye, 1, for the purpose of facilitating the suspension of the apparatus either side uppermost from a stationary hook or other fixed point.

B and B are clamping-bars, which form a grip for sustaining the weight of a person on the suspensionrope A. Said clampingbars are spaced at such a distance apart that the opening between the adjacent edges of the two will be sufficiently less than the diameter of the suspension-rope A to produce a grip on said rope that will normally prevent it from rendering when said bars are locked together by any simple device that will not create confusion or delay in case of emergency or when the suspended weight is equally borne on both of said bars. Said clamping-bars are pivoted together by means of a strap-joint, C, so as to swing toward and from each other on the pivotal center 2.

The suspension-rope A is preferably inserted in the upper edge of the bar B and passes out at the side of the same. It is then rove crosswise between the adjacent edges of the bars B and B, then into the side of the latter, and preferably out at the bottom of the same. Said rope is then preferably carried over the upper edge of the bar B at a point at the opposite side of the pivotal center 2, and in passing transversely over the upper edge of the bar B said rope passes through a staple, 3, which prevents it from slipping out of place. The lower part of said rope hangs pendent from the clamping-bars.

D is a safety-band that is intended to be passed around the chest, under the armpits, of a person who is about to descend on the apparatus. Said safety-band should be provided with a sliding loop, 4, for the purpose of adjusting the bight of said band to the person. When said safety-band is required to be detachable, which is our preferred construction, it is provided at each end with a snap-hook, 5, or other appliance for quickly attaching and detaching it from the clampingbars when occasion requires. One end of the bar B is provided with a becket, E, which has an eye, 6, at each end. Said becket is secured to the bar B, so that it will not slip therein,and so that one end of the safety-belt D can be engaged in either of the eyes 6 that occasion may require. At the opposite end of the bar Ba hand-rope, F, is secured, so that it will not slip. The fastened end of said hand-rope is provided with a hand-loop, 7, or other appliance, to which a pull of the hand can be applied. The other part of said handrope, after being rove first up and then down through the bar B,and then down through the bar B, is provided with an eye, 8, to which an end of the safety-band D engages to complete the attachment of the latter to the clam ping-bars.

Our fire-escape operates in the following manner: The suspensionrope A being attached by one of its eyes 1 to a hook, 9, or other secure fastening that is adjacently located to a window orother opening of a building, and the safety-band D, with its sliding loop 4, arranged to give ample size to the bight of said band for slipping over the shoulders of a person, being attached to the clamping-bars.

The bight of the safety-band is fixed around the chest of the person that is about to descend, and the sliding loop is adjusted to bring the bight of the safety-band snugly around the person. The latter slips out of the window with his weight sustained by the suspensionrope A, which is gripped by the clampingbars, so that it cannot render through thelatter. The weight will then be equally distributed at both ends of the clamping-bars, so that the latter will operate as a brake to prevent the descent of the person until he is ready to do so. Then a strain is applied to the handrope F, that will sulllee to draw down the corresponding end of the bar B and effect a releasenient of the grip of the clamping-bars on the suspension rope A, whereupon the latter will freely render through said clamping bars and permit the latter and their attached load to slide easily downward. If, during excitement, too great a strain is applied to the hand-ropc F, the end of the bar B to which said hand-rope is attached will be drawn down to such a degree that its opposite end will grip that part of the suspension-rope A which passes through the staple 3, and thereby the clamping-bars will be brought into action to operate as a brake on that part of the rope A last referred to, and thereby the descent of the suspended load will be entirely stopped or its speed will be checked until the strain is partially removed from the hand-rope. By entirely removing the strain from the hand-rope F the grip of the clamping-bars near their middle can be reapplied to the suspensionrope A, and the descent of the load will be thereby stopped.

\Vhen the person on the fire-escape has reached the ground and the apparatus is required for saving others from the same apartment, it can be raised by means of the part of the rope that is uppermost, and after being raised and its position reversed, as shown in Fig. 3, it is ready for an immediate repetition It is obvious that our fire-escape can be used without passing a part of the rope A through the staple 3, and a satisfactory result thereby attained; but, as a more perfect control of the apparatus can be had by the arrangement first described,we prefer to retain it in its entirety.

\Ve claim as our invention- 1. In a fire-escape, the combination of a pair of clamping-bars that are pivoted together to swing toward and from each other in a Vertical plane, a suspension rope thatpasses through the body of both clamping-bars and trans- Versely between them, so that said clampingbars will operate as a grip on said rope, and a safety-band attached to said clainpiug bars,

,as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. A reversible fire escape comprising a suspension-rope, A, a pair of clampingbars,

B and B, that are pivoted together, as at 2, to swing toward and from each other in a vertical plane, the bar B being provided at one end with a becket, E, having an eye, (5, at each end, the opposite end of said bar l'laving secured thereto a hand-rope, F, which has at one end a handloop, 7, and at the opposite end an eye,

8, said hand-rope being rove through one end of both clamping-bars to operate as described, 7 and a safety-band, I), provided with hooks or other fasteningsl'or connecting said band with said clamping-bars, as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. In a fire escape, the combination of a pair of clamping-bars and a reversible suspensionrope, said clamping bars being pivoted together to swing toward and from each other in a vertical plane, and the said suspensionrope being rove through the body of both 8 clamping-bars and passed transversely between said bars at each side of their pivotal center, as and for the purpose herein specified.

JOEL CONOVEBV. F tANK CONRIOK.

\Vitnesses:

WM. H. Low, 8. B. BREWER. 

